The opening of data currently held as private archives for more general use, namely for innovation and development, promises significant progress towards the digital single market in a ‘data-driven’ economy.
This In-Depth Analysis commissioned by the European Parliament explores issues around the access to open data in the EU, particularly in the context of the European Commission’s January 2017 Communication, Building A European Data Economy, and the proposed Regulation on a framework for the free flow of non-personal data in the European Union.
The report examines the current state of play in the market and the legal framework concerning open data in the EU, both at European and national levels. Barriers impeding access to open data are examined, and the report sets out possible solutions to these barriers in the form of scenarios to 2020-25. How and to what extent the proposed measures could be implemented at EU level is discussed, with policy recommendations. The key recommendation is to instigate a system of Open Data Licensing to drive access to open data, akin to open-source software licensing.
This report is re-published with the kind permission of the European Parliament, Directorate General for Internal Policies, Policy Department A: Economic and Scientific Policy.
Authors: Colin Blackman, Associate Research Fellow, Digital Forum, CEPS, and Simon Forge, SCF Associates Ltd.
Series: Externally published report
No of pages: 36
